Pacific Ultra Soy Milk review – Is soy milk healthy?

What’s your ideal kind of plant-based milk? I’ll examine Ultra Soy Milk from Pacific Foods (on sale at the Grocery Outlet) from a nutritional perspective and also address rumors connecting soy to deforestation and cancer.

ethicalbargains.org

The Ethical Guide to… laundry detergent. Liquid, powder, pods, sheets, or tablets?

What kind of laundry detergent should we seek out, as ethical consumers? Both laundry pods and sheets are made from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) so we’ll take a look at that. Powder is a good format and…

greenstarsproject.org

The Ethical Guide to… Eggs. In-ovo sexing takes off

For anyone gravitating towards a plant-based diet, it’s natural to wonder about which animal products cause the least harm. Eggs are a much better choice than cheese or meat, with much smaller envi…

greenstarsproject.org

Venchi chocolate bars at the Grocery Outlet!

I could hardly contain my excitement when I saw that the Grocery Outlet has a bunch of Venchi chocolate bars in stock right now. They normally retail for $10-13 but are on sale at the Grocery Outle…

ethicalbargains.org

Violife cream cheese: Why coconut beats dairy

How does vegan cream cheese compare to dairy-based? We’ll take a look at this in terms of both health (MCTs versus long-chain fats) and sustainability. I’ll also examine Violife’s cream cheese bloc…

ethicalbargains.org

Query: Top action on climate change?

What’s the top single action that we can take as individuals to mitigate climate change? Hint: It’s a very specific action and all of us are capable of doing it.

greenstarsproject.org

NYC temperature records: A scientific (not Fox-y) perspective

A meteorologist on the Fox Weather Channel showed a chart of record temperatures in New York’s Central Park. He drew attention to the fact that the record high was set all the way back in 1936 and …

greenstarsproject.org

So Delicious sundae cones are fab but Danone just 86’d them

So Delicious vegan sundae cones are totes delicious. Alas, it looks like they are being phased out as parent company Danone shutters its plant-based facility in New Jersey and scales back on vegan …

ethicalbargains.org

Amtrak USA Rail Pass: tips and experiences

The Amtrak USA Rail Pass allows you to take 10 train journeys (of any length) within a 30-day period. It’s a fantastic way to see the country: low-budget and low-carbon. I’ll discuss some essential…

greenstarsproject.org

Climactic: seeking publisher/agent for ethical consumption guide

I’m seeking a publisher or agent for my book, Climactic: A Consumer’s Guide to Saving the Planet. I’ll share a brief description and chapter list here, followed by an excerpt, next week. If you are…

greenstarsproject.org

Sustainable Food: Ethical ratings for different protein sources

What’s the most ethical protein, brah? Last week I published a graphic showing different kinds of butter, dairy and non-dairy, ranked from 0 to 5 Green Stars. Following up on that, here’s a graphic…

greenstarsproject.org

New vegan protein bars from RxBar: A huge improvement

Until recently, all RxBar protein bars were made with commodity market egg white powder. So I was excited to see the launch of two vegan bars, which also contain more protein than the regular bars. Each plant-based bar contains an impressive 18 grams of protein, derived from pea protein and peanuts.

ethicalbargains.org

Grocery Outlet spring 2026 wine sale: 20-25% off!

The spring 2026 Grocery Outlet wine sale is being held next week. The sale runs from runs from March 4-10, 2026 and all wine will be discounted an extra 20%. Customers with the Grocery Outlet app will receive a coupon for 25% off all wine for the first two days of the sale.

ethicalbargains.org

Ivy’s Reserve – a carbon neutral butter from Wyke Farms

A year after releasing “the world’s first carbon neutral cheddar,” UK-based Wyke Farms launched Ivy’s Reserve carbon neutral butter. I’ll examine what went into this claim and ultimately decide on …

ethicalbargains.org

Spectrum organic cooking oils: ethical rating

I bought some Spectrum organic cooking oils at the Grocery Outlet and think they are worthy of a review. As usual, I’ll include a Green Stars rating for Spectrum’s social & environmental impact.

ethicalbargains.org

Lenny & Larry’s ethical rating (and what on earth are Fitzels?)

I discovered Lenny & Larry’s protein-rich vegan products at the Grocery Outlet. I tried out the Pizza Palooza version of their Fitzels (Fitness + Pretzels). Honestly, it doesn’t look like a very serious product but it addresses a serious dilemma – meeting our protein needs without destroying the planet.

ethicalbargains.org

Ethical vegan hazelnut chocolate: Lindt vs. Divine

I recently picked up two vegan hazelnut chocolate bars at the Grocery Outlet – one from Lindt and one from Divine. They are a world apart in terms of ethics but I also enjoyed one much more than the other. All will be revealed!

ethicalbargains.org

Bill Gates’s new view on climate change is irrational

Bill Gates published a blog post last week, titled Three tough truths about climate (A new way to look at the problem). He argues that we need to continue funding programs that tackle poverty and h…

greenstarsproject.org

Grocery Outlet Fall 2025 wine sale: Nov 3 – 11

The Fall 2025 Grocery Outlet wine sale kicks off next week – 20% off all wines from Nov 3-11. I’ll be looking for California wines from Sebastiani (Sonoma) and Firestone (Santa Ynez Valley) and may pick up one of the regular favorites too.

ethicalbargains.org

Are seafood certifications useful? Consider these two steps first!

I will examine the science on whether third-party certifications such as the Marine Stewardship Council, Friend of the Sea and Fair Trade are helpful for consumers seeking responsibly-caught seafoo…

greenstarsproject.org

The astonishing carbon footprint of plastic production

Last year, scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab reported that the carbon footprint of plastic production is around 2.2 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalents. That’s more than double previous …

greenstarsproject.org

Another Grocery Outlet wine sale! Aug 22-24, 2025

There’s another surprise wine sale coming up at the Grocery Outlet – 20% off all wines on Aug 22-24. My top picks are California wines from Sebastiani (Sonoma) and Firestone (Santa Ynez Valley). Th…

ethicalbargains.org

Earthbound Farm greens – an ethical rating for “Big Organic”

I’m evaluating Earthbound Farm in part because I just finished a post on organic certification and the company came up a couple of times. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan associated Earthbound Farm with the concept of “Big Organic.” Having researched Earthbound Farm, I think there are both pros and cons that come with the scale of the company.

ethicalbargains.org

Parmela Creamery vegan cheddar is excellent – but is it about to disappear?

I just discovered Parmela Creamery vegan cheese – the sharp cheddar is one of the best plant-based hard cheeses that I’ve tried so far. However, the company has been very quiet and is no longer sel…

ethicalbargains.org

Is Rainforest Alliance an effective certification?

The level of shade cover is one of the best ways to determine if forest habitats are being maintained. The good news is that shade-tolerant crops such as cacao can tolerate over 30% shade cover wit…

greenstarsproject.org

Is Beyond Steak worth it? Review and ethical rating

I picked up some Beyond Steak at the Grocery Outlet ($6.99 instead of the normal price of around $8-9) and cooked it with fennel and mushrooms. I’ll review the product in terms of taste, nutrition, and ethics.

ethicalbargains.org

Signal – an ethical replacement for WhatsApp

Moving from WhatsApp to Signal is an important action, right now. WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, has been involved in several cases of election interference: America in 2016, Trinidad and Tobago …

greenstarsproject.org

Surprise summer wine sale at the Grocery Outlet!

The Grocery Outlet is springing a surprise sale on us! It starts tomorrow, June 11, and runs for 7 days. On the first day only, customers who use the app will get 25% off instead of the normal 20%. My pick is a Châteauneuf-du-Pape that will cost only $7.50 tomorrow. Also: The environmental footprints of wine. Plus: Is Jean-Luc Picard named after a grape!?

ethicalbargains.org

Delight Soy popcorn nuggets are better than you’d think

Delight Soy vegan products are available (on discount) at the Grocery Outlet at the moment. The new products comprise a new gluten-free range from the North Carolina based company. I recommend trying the popcorn nuggets but be aware that how you cook them is crucial!

ethicalbargains.org

How to use vegan cheese (+ Miyoko’s ethical rating update)

A few categories of vegan cheese have a higher success rate, in terms of replacing their dairy-based equivalents. But in most cases there’s another element that’s also very important – how you eat it. Long story short – you generally need to eat vegan cheese with other items for them to be enjoyable experience that you’ll want to repeat.

ethicalbargains.org